Opposition to file no-confidence motion against PM, 7 ministers

BANGKOK, June 18 (TNA) – The political temperature in the Thai capital is heating up as the opposition Democrat Party Wednesday morning is expected to continue pressing the government by filing a motion of no-confidence against Prime Minister in parliament, designed to help bring down the government.

At the same time, the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), a protest
alliance born amid attempts to bring down the former government of Thaksin
Shinawatra, currently demonstrating on Rajdamneon Avenue in front of the United National regional headquarters, promises to carry its revised campaign against the government of Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej.

Both the Democrats and the PAD state their belief that the Samak
government is a weak, ineffective and corrupt stand-in for the deposed
government of Mr. Thaksin.

Despite a string of charges -- mainly dealing with alleged poor
performance and failure to cope with the ongoing economic and other
unresolved problems, the spokesman said, the core complaint may be that of
offering apparent undue servitude to a previous government.

The Democrat Party's censure motion, scheduled to be submitted to House
Speaker Chai Chidchob at 10.30 Wednesday morning in parliament, aims to
prompt government as well as opposition MPs to cast no-confidence votes
against Mr. Samak and the seven other ministers after a marathon censure
debate, expected to take place by June 28 or by the end of the current
extraordinary House session.

Opposition party spokesman Ong-art Khlampaibul said the seven cabinet
portfolio bearers targeted alongside the premier included Deputy Prime
Minister and Finance Minister Surapong Suebwonglee, Deputy Prime Minister
and Commerce Minister Mingkwan Saengsuwan, Transport Minister Santi
Prompat, Deputy Transport Minister Songsak Thongsri, Justice Minister
Sompong Amornwiwat, Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama and Interior
Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung.

Only a few Democrat MPs would take the floor to voice the censure charges
against each of the seven ministers, he said.

The prime minister, concurrently head of the ruling People Power Party,
will be grilled during the censure debate on grounds that he allegedly had
run the country without visible leadership. The Democrat charges that the
prime minister had "obviously" sought to serve hidden interests of a
once-powerful person and endorsed constitutional amendment bids "only to
return favours to a particular, hidden supporter" who stood behind Mr.
Samak's political aims, rather than the prime minister himself.

The Democrats apparently referred to Mr. Samak's predecessor, deposed
prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, stating that Mr. Samak chose persons of
poor judgment, incompetence and lack of expertise as members of his
cabinet to run varied portfolios of government.

The opposition charges stated that the Samak cabinet members had vested
personal and partisan interests which were inappropriately entangled with
those of the country and people, and that Mr. Samak had allowed members of
his cabinet to run the country in an aimless, random fashion resulting in
failed government policies.

PM Samak, according to the Democrats, allowed members of his cabinet and
other government officials to harm their adversaries and that he had
openly acted in undue defence of his subordinates.

The prime minister continued to ignore the people's welfare in the face of
rapidly rising costs of living and sustained economic hardship, the
spokesman said, and failed to resolve the continuing violence in the
insurgency-torn far South and did not, therefore, return peace and
prosperity to the southernmost region. (TNA)